McDonald's has no plans for U.S. sales of packaged coffee

Published October 26, 2012

| Reuters

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McDonald's Corp , which next month will start selling packaged coffee in some of its restaurants in Canada, has no current plans to sell bagged coffee in the United States, a spokeswoman said on Friday.

News of the company's plans to sell the McCafe-branded coffee in Canada came shortly after market watchers noticed that McDonald's had filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to use its McCafe brand for "ground and whole bean coffee.

That trademark filing launched speculation that the world's biggest fast-food chain might offer bagged coffee in the United States.

When asked if the company had plans to bring bagged coffee to the United States, McDonald's spokeswoman Heather Oldani said: "No, not at this time."

Profits at McDonald's have gotten a big boost from its introduction of McCafe beverages, which include coffee and espresso drinks like those popularized by Starbucks Corp.

Coffee chains such as Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts sell packaged coffee through their shops and other retailers.

Shares in McDonald's were down 0.6 percent at $86.70 in midday trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting By Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles and Allison Martell in Toronto; Editing by Alden Bentley)